48 Minutes with Ryan Ward Talking LA Lakers

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome to the show.

0:51 ... Bruce live Bet Online Commercial Read.

1:29 ... Bruce introduces Ryan Ward, the host of the Jello Jigglin podcast and reporter for LakersNation.com.

2:07 ... Ryan explains "Jello Jigglin," the name of his podcast which honors Chick Hearn, the legendary Lakers announcer.

3:06 ... Everything begins and ends with LeBron James when it comes to the Lakers ... Bruce thinks he's the GOAT but Ryan has an alternate opinion .... Ryan explains why it's still Michael Jordan for him.

6:12 ... LeBron's son Bronny is a Laker and defense appears to be his strength .... Ryan shares his thoughts on Bronny and how he can use his defense to succeed in the NBA. JJ Redick said Lu Dort could be a model for Bronny's upward trajectory.

8:56 ... Ryan feels Bronny can eventually become a solid shooter and he used Jason Kidd as an example.

11:03 ... JJ Redick is a rookie coach and he's LeBron's guy (for now), but the fans are not expecting much from him. But he'll still take heat if the team flounders out of the gate. Ryan ridicules those who compare Redick to a young Pat Riley.

14:13 ... Bronny has gotten all the attention but top draft choice Dalton Knecht is a three point shooter and could be a major factor right out of the box.

15:21 ... Ryan sizes up the Lakers backcourt situation with newly re-signed Max Christie joining Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, and Gabe Vincent.

16:38 ... Christie signed a nice contract (4 yrs/$32m) but is that deal something the Lakers should have committed to?

18:43 ... This is the last gasp of the LeBron era and Ryan feels the rebuilding process is upon us soon. He even makes a bold prediction about LeBron's future.

20:42 ... Anthony Davis is still at the top of his game and this could be the "last best chance" for AD and LBJ to get one more ring.

22:07 ... Ryan questioned why JJ Redick dissed AD's defense last season and suggested it might have been personal.

24:28 ... World B asks Ryan about AD's shot selection and what he needs to do to be dominant on offense. While three point shooting has never been his thing, Redick loves the three and may ask AD to shoot them more frequently.

25:47 ... Bruce asks Ryan if the supporting cast is good enough for a long playoff run without a mid-season trade?

27:04 ... Has Rob Pelinka had a successful tenure as general manager after winning it all in 2020? Ryan had a major problem with the Russell Westbrook trade and agrees with Dwight Howard about how breaking up the 2020 champions was a mistake.

30:40 ... The Clippers would like to consider themselves rivals of the Lakers and now they have their own new arena. But much like the Nets vs the Knicks in New York, the Clips will never be the equal of the Lakers. Ryan had fun describing how the Lakers built a new scoreboard in response to the Clippers massive new video board but he couldn't tell the difference between the new one and previous one.

35:04 ... Steve Ballmer could have moved the Clippers to Seattle but he chose money over team success.

35:39 ... This is the first time that the fans see Jeanie Buss as "public enemy #1" even though she is a great person. Bruce shares his thoughts on how Jeanie hasn't had it easy with family conflicts affecting the operation of the team. And the relatively small number of people in the inner circle has sometimes given LeBron more opportunities to exert his influence.

37:55 ... Ryan says Lakers Nation is convinced that LeBron is running the entire franchise and the fans are very negative towards the Lakers heading into the season.

40:06 ... The Lakers have usually found success trading for stars and even though they've drafted well, they always trade promising young guys for "one guy."

41:34 ... World B tees up a discussion on whether the team has a "Post LeBron Exit Strategy." Ryan feels the future is really uncertain and their pattern of trading young players for stars probably won't continue.

45:27 .... The Knicks would like to emulate the Lakers in the way they attract stars, but now they're taking a different approach and the Knicks are hitting their stride.

46:50 ... Magic Johnson and Anthony Edwards recently feuded over Ant's statement about old school guys not being as good as the new school guys. We all ridiculed Edwards for his bizarre take.

51:20 ... World B asks Ryan about Kobe vs LeBron and Ryan feels Kobe's mentality set him apart from LeBron. He was a killer on the court, the way his mind worked, and the way he carried himself were all amazing. Ryan said LeBron can do everything on the court but off the court he was not as great as Kobe. Kobe was an inspiration in many non-basketball situations.

54:24 ... Bruce feels Kobe is an eternal life force who remains a presence in the hearts and minds of basketball fans everywhere.

55:46 ... Bruce feels that the Celtics and Lakers complete each other and measure themselves against each other. There is a lot of respect there. But Ryan feels Cedric Maxwell is one player that Lakers fans really hate.

57:54 ... Bruce thanks Ryan for joining the show and says goodbye .

TRT 58:41

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